Argun residents tell details of mass detentions

Mass detentions were launched in Argun before the August series of attacks on policemen in Chechnya, and stopped after the appointment of a new head of the interior department, local residents have reported.

On September 3, detentions of about 40 persons were reported in Argun; they were tortured, demanding to confess to their involvement in the armed underground.

Local residents note that detentions in Argun were not related to the teenagers' attacks on August 20.

"People were detained on suspicion of using drugs and of contact with militants outside the republic," said Ilyas, a resident of Argun.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Chechnya has refuted the information about detentions of Argun residents.